This is a recording of the Adult Catechumen Class presented at Transfiguration GOC by Fr. George P. Bithos on October 11, 2023. The series will present an Introduction to the Orthodox Church Year. It is a raw recording of the class, please excuse the lack of polish. Thank you. FrG.
Introducing the Church Year October, Fall 2023
This is a recording of the Adult Catechumen Class presented at Transfiguration GOC by Fr. George P. Bithos on October 4, 2023. The series will present an introduction to the Orthodox Church Year. It is a raw recording of the class, please excuse the lack of polish. Thank you. FrG.
Introducing the Church Year Classes Fall 2023
These classes are part of a Series presented in the Fall of 2023 to the Adult Catechumen Class at Transfiguration GOC, Austin Texas by Fr. George P. Bithos. This introduction is a brief glimps of the Church temple and its theology. The presentation is a raw recording of the class. Please excuse the less than polished video. Thank you…FrG
Orthodoxy 101: Orthodoxy Alive – Foundations of the Faith Class 5 October 12, 2022
This is the recording of the class: Orthodoxy 101 – Orthodoxy Alive of October 12, 2022. It is an unedited video of the ZOOM recording of the class. It is a class of the Adult Religious Education Classes of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas. For the best view, please start at 10:00 minutes into the recording. God Bless ….FrG
Orthodoxy 101: Orthodoxy Alive – Foundations of the Faith Class 4 October 5, 2022
This is the recording of the class: Orthodoxy 101 – Orthodoxy Alive of October 5, 2022. It is an unedited video of the ZOOM recording of the class. It is a class of the Adult Religious Education Classes of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas. For the best view, please start at 10:00 minutes into the recording. God Bless ….FrG
Orthodoxy 101: Orthodoxy Alive Foundations of the Faith Fall 2022 Class 3 September 28, 2022
This is the recording of the class: Orthodoxy 101 – Orthodoxy Alive of September 28, 2022. It is an unedited video of the ZOOM recording of the class. It is a class of the Adult Religious Education Classes of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas. For the best view, please start at 11.00 minutes into the recording. God Bless ….FrG
Orthodoxy 101: Orthodoxy Alive Fall 2022 Class 1/2 September 21, 2022
This is the recording of the class: Orthodoxy 101 – Orthodoxy Alive of September 21, 2022. It is an unedited video of the ZOOM recording of the class. It is a class of the Adult Religious Education classes of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas. For the best view, please start at 12:00 minutes into the recording. God Bless ….Frg
Our Age of Ego and Self Centeredness
Abba Sisoes the Great at the Tomb of Alexander the Great
I read a beautiful reflection on the icon of Abba Sisoes the Great at the tomb of Alexander the Great and wanted to share it. In our present day climate of “likes” and “internet influencers,” I thought this to be very relevant and something for us all to think about as we consider the ego driven pursuit of fame and the values of our age.
Abba Sisoes was born in 367 and died in AD 429. He became an ascetic in the desert of Thebes in Egypt. His memory is celebrated on July 6 and belongs to the first generation of great ascetics who followed St. Anthony the Great.
The monastery of Abba Sisoes, located in the valley of Nitria in the region of Wadi el Natroun in Egypt, is one of the ancient monasteries of the Skete, the cradle of Christian monasticism, which has been operating since the 4th century AD. The monastery contains the relic of Saint Sisoes which is said to be perfectly preserved on a red cloth.
The monks claim that it is common for Saint Sisoes to perform miracles for the true believers and is also considered one of the most important monastic saints of Orthodox and Coptic Christians.
The disciples of Saint Sisoes, who are considered to be the first to depict the relevant scene, describe it as follows: ‘Sisoes the Great, at the tomb of the glorious King of the Greeks, Alexander, is terrified and expresses his sorrow over the ephemeral glories of this life.
Saint Sisoes stands at the open tomb of Alexander the Great, so he weeps and exclaims:
‘Seeing you in a grave, I am timid and frightened at your sight and I shed tears from my heart, bringing to my mind the debt that all people have to pay (that is, death), so I will suffer such an end. Ah, ah death, who is the one who can avoid you?’
We hear in the Funeral Service of our Holy Church this prayer:
“Where is the pleasure in life which is unmixed with sorrow? Where the glory which on earth stood firm and unchanged? All things are weaker than shadow, all more elusive than dreams; comes in one fell stroke, and Death in turn, prevails over all these vanities. Wherefore in the Light, O Christ, of Your countenance, and in the sweetness of Your beauty, to him (her) whom You have chosen grant repose, for you are the Friend of Mankind.”
The reality of death viewed through the saving grace of the Lord is the only comfort and solace we as Orthodox Christians have in our lives. This is the lesson of this beautiful story of Abba Sisoes. God Bless….FrG
The Foundations of the Church: A Study of the Ecumenical Councils (Part 3)
The Triumph of Orthodoxy
The Foundations of the Church is a short study of the first seven Ecumenical Councils. The classes are recorded from the Adult Education Series of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church – Austin, Texas. This class is Part 3 of the series recorded on June 15, 2022. This recording explores the 6th. and 7th. Ecumenical Councils and their impact on the orthodoxy and theology of the Church. The video recordings are unedited transcriptions of the Zoom presentation of the class. Please forgive the lack of polish of the recording. For a better viewing of this segment, please begin at 3:00 min. into the recording. The presenter is Fr. George P. Bithos The link to the video is below. God Bless.. FrG
The Foundations of the Church: A Study of the Ecumenical Councils (Part 2)
The Foundations of the Church is a short study of the first seven Ecumenical Councils. The classes are recorded from the Adult Education Series of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church – Austin, Texas. This class is Part 2 of the series recorded on June 8, 2022. This recording explores the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Ecumenical Councils and their impact on the orthodoxy and theology of the Church. The video recordings are unedited transcriptions of the Zoom presentation of the class. Please forgive the lack of polish of the recording. The presenter is Fr. George P. Bithos The link to the video is below. God Bless..FrG